Dr Kevin Watkins is the nonresident Senior Fellow at Centre for Universal Education at Brookings Institution, appointed Executive Director of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the leading think-tank on international development and humanitarian issues in the UK. Watkins held previously the position of director and lead author of UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report. He was the director of the UNDP Human Development Report where led the research on reports covering the Millennium Development Goals, water and climate change. Watkins was the head of research at Oxfam.

Inequality barrier to human development

05.03.2013, Stockholm, Sweden

The lecture addressed dilemma of inequality and discussed possible ways forward, from both a human development perspective and a business perspective. Video record and audio podcast available now from the lecture.

The past two decades have seen dramatic gains in human development. Poverty is falling, child survival rates are increasing, and education indicators are on a rising trend. During the same time period new modes of development ideas and practices have evolved that includes local communities and the poor in finding solutions, and, in addition, points to partnering with business to address systemic challenges such as poverty, environmental degradation and climate change. Yet, wealth distribution within countries is diverging – and persistent inequalities in opportunity are holding back progress in health, education and employment. This lecture will address these dilemmas and discuss possible ways forward, from both a human development perspective and a business perspective.

11.30–11.40 Welcome and Introduction by Stockholm School of Economics, European Commission (Mr. Pierre Schellekens, Head of the European Commission Representation in Stockholm) and UNDP (Ms. Monica Lorensson, Liaison Officer, UNDP Nordic Office)